Dating 101
by gnbrules
Summary: Because there was no way she was going to set him up with one of her friends and not give him a substantial amount of dating advice. Strong Lassie/Jules friendship and Lassie/OC romance. Complete.
1. The Set Up

**DATING 101**

**Summary: ****Because there was no way she was going to set him up with one of her friends and not give him a substantial amount of dating advice. Strong Lassie/Jules friendship and Lassie/OC. **

**A/N: If you already read Let's Get Alphabetical (and the chapter notes) you'll already know that this is a longer version of the "Try" chapter. I normally don't write OC, but I need Lassie to get some love in his life...oh, and I get to satisfy my total adoration for Lassie/Jules friendship. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, right?**

**CHAPTER ONE: The Set Up**

"He's a great guy," Juliet assures her friend over the phone, a mere two hours before the date was scheduled.

Elizabeth sighs in response. "I'm sensing a 'but' in there somewhere. As in, he's a great guy, but...?"

Juliet hesitates. "He's rough around the edges."

"Juliet." says Elizabeth sharply. "How rough are we talking here?"

"He's a great partner!" Juliet defends immediately. "I wouldn't want anyone else, ever. But he's a cop."

"Is that all? I told you I didn't mind."

"But he's _really _a cop. It's his life. He finds it hard to relax and he's bad at small talk. And flirting...and dating..."

"Oh, God. Why am I doing this again?"

"Because he's a really sweet guy, underneath it all! Plus, I think you guys could seriously hit it off if you gave him a real chance. Once you start to understand him...well, you'll see."

"Juliet, if this is gonna turn out like the time you set me up with Alan..."

"No, I swear. This will totally work. You'll like him. Promise."

"Okay. I'll trust you. For now. But do you think he'll like me? I mean, really?"

Juliet smiles. "Yeah. He'll like you."

* * *

Juliet doesn't call beforehand; she gets the distinct feeling that if her partner knew precisely what she had in mind, he wouldn't let her anywhere near his apartment. So it's with surprise that he opens his door to find her there, smiling sheepishly at him and asking politely if he'll let her come in.

He steps aside smoothly, wonderingly, and it's only then – when she knows that he won't be able to refuse entrance – that she lets herself show her true intentions.

He closes the door and she scrutinizes his appearance. "O'Hara, what are you...?"

"Is that really what you're wearing?" she interrupts, not bothering to make any actual explanation of her visit.

He looks down at his shirt, then back up. "Yeah. What's wrong with it?" he asks defensively.

She sighs. "It's a first _impression, _Carlton. So, let's impress. We'll see if we can't find something a bit nicer for you." She takes his hand and leads him down his own hallway, and he trails behind her like a bewildered child.

And then they're in the bedroom, and he's sitting on his bed, staring at her with astonishment as she rifles through the clothes of his closet.

She frowns at his selections, shakes her head a bit, then finally smiles. She pulls out a dark blue button-up shirt. "Try this." she orders, casually passing it back to him.

"O'Hara, there is nothing wrong with the shirt I'm wearing!"

"Nothing wrong with it, but nothing right with it. I like the dark blue on you, though. It sort of makes your eyes stand out more. And you've got really pretty eyes. Bet you anything that's the first thing she notices about you."

"O'Hara..."

She turns away from the closet to face him. He recognizes that look immediately. She is fiercely determined in a way that Carlton has only seen a few times, and for just a second, he's almost afraid of her. When she speaks, though, her voice is soft and reassuring. "I know her, Carlton. I can help you with this. I can give you all the advice you'll need. You want to give this a real shot, right?"

And the thing is, he actually does. He's moving on from the divorce, and he'll never admit it, but he's tired of feeling so _alone_.

Before he knows it, he's voluntarily wearing the shirt that she picked out.

From that moment on, he decides not to argue.

They go back to his living room and sit on his couch. She begins to offer a never-ending stream of advice. He tries to remember it all.

"Let her talk about herself. Listen and ask questions. Smile a lot. Make eye contact. Don't get bossy with the waiters. Leave a good tip. Don't talk about your ex-wife or any previous relationships. If she asks about them, which I'm sure she won't, don't go too into detail. Skate over everything. That's not proper first date conversation."

"Damn, O'Hara, is it even worth it?" asks Lassiter, suddenly overwhelmed and annoyed. Dating should not be this complicated, in his mind. "How do you know we'll even like each other?"

A little grin turns up the corners of her mouth. "I wanted it to be a surprise but..."

"But...?" he prods wearily.

She leans in close to him, as if to share a precious secret. "She loves guns." she whispers, and he raises an eyebrow.

"What do you mean she loves guns?"

"Exactly what I said, Carlton. Her father owns a gun store. She was raised off guns. She's a good shot. She could have been a cop, if she had ever wanted to be. She goes to the public shooting range every few weeks. In fact, if this goes well, maybe you guys can go shooting together. I think she'd like that."

Carlton runs fingers through his hair, and a far-away look comes into his eyes. "God, she sounds _perfect." _

Juliet laughs. "That's why I thought you'd like her."

"Do I really look all right?" he says, suddenly much more concerned with his appearance.

"Perfect." Juliet answers. "Now, you're taking her to a restaurant _without crayons on the table, _right?"

"Right." he confirms. "Reservations at Mario's, at your suggestion."

"And you'll listen and ask her questions about herself?"

"Yes. Of course."

"And you won't tell the dead clown story...?"

He hesitates.

"Carlton..."

"I still say it's funny!"

"Totally is not!"

He looks at her pleading expression, and although he still thinks he's right, he'll trust her – for now. "I won't tell it." he concedes. He looks at her anxiously. "Think she'll like me?"

Juliet smiles hopefully at her partner. "I'm sure of it."

**A/N: Oh, Lassie...I love you entirely too much. Reviews are awesome. Next chapter begins the date; more to come soon. :D **


	2. Introductions

**CHAPTER TWO: Introductions**

Juliet follows him out when it's time – date time. She wishes him luck and says goodbye, leaving him with a feeling of distinct uneasiness.

The drive to Elizabeth's house is short, too short in his opinion, and when he parks, he has to take a long moment before getting out of the car. He breathes in, breathes outs. He's got that nauseous feeling in his stomach (he won't call it butterflies, that's just stupid).

He has no idea why he can stare at grotesque crime scenes and stomach the sight of bloodied bodies, but this, _this_ makes him want to forfeit his lunch to the ground.

He sighs, pulls his nerve together, and gets out of the car.

He makes it up the walkway, hesitates slightly at the door, then knocks.

He counts the seconds it takes her to open it...one, two, three, four, five...

When she does, the first thing he thinks is that she's very pretty – beautiful, actually. She has dark hair with just a slight wave to it, green eyes, and flawless skin.

The second thing he thinks is that her dress is beautiful, too.

"Hi." she says shyly. "Carlton, right?"

"Yes. Elizabeth Henson?"

She smiles and sticks out her hand, which he shakes. "Nice to meet you, Carlton."

"Nice to meet you, too..."

And then they let go, and there's a brief awkward pause. "Um, I guess we should be going...the reservations..."

"Right." she says, and she follows him to his car.

He just barely remembers to open the door for her. "Thank you." she smiles.

He decides right then that he likes her smile.

In the car, the initial silence makes Lassiter uncomfortable. He busies himself with the keys and starting the car, checking his mirrors, putting on his seat-belt

Elizabeth puts on her seat-belt, too.

He counts the seconds of silence. One, two, three...

"So, um...Juliet told me a lot about you."

His hands tighten on the wheel slightly; he hopes she doesn't notice. At this point, he's not sure whether silence or forced conversation is best. But he promised O'Hara that he'd try. "Yeah. She told me a lot about you, too. You work at...some publishing company, don't you?"

"I'm an editor at Clyde Publications. I read a lot of manuscripts. What's bad is that the higher-ups usually get to tell people they're being published. I'm the one that has to tell the rest no, sorry, come again." she says, shaking her head with a small smile.

"So, you don't like it?" he asks, slightly surprised to find himself actually curious.

She laughs. "Oh, I didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I love my job. I read for a living, and most of the stories are really good – even the ones that don't get published by us. It took me awhile to figure it out, but this job is perfect for me."

"Oh." he says, wishing he had a better reply.

Elizabeth takes it upon herself to keep the conversation afloat. "But, hey, it's my turn now. You are the Head Detective for the SBPD, correct?"

He nods, smirks a little at the interrogation-style question. "Correct."

"Juliet says you love it. Is that true?"

He doesn't even hesitate. "It's true."

She presses forward, this time with a question he didn't really expect. "Why?"

That gives him a pause. Why. Why. He always found the why questions to be a tiny bit irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. In his job, the why gives him the motive, but motive isn't evidence. It isn't the how, the who, when or where.

So he's not sure how to answer that one.

"I don't know." he says finally.

"Yes. You do." she states simply, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

He glances over at her, and she waits with an expectant smile. And he can't help himself. "I guess I like...knowing that I'm doing my best to make things more fair...for victims and their families. And I also like solving the puzzles. You know, putting the clues together to solve a case..."

"And...?" she presses.

For some reason, he seems to know exactly what she wants to hear – because it's the truth, as well. He turns to her, offering up his best (and most sincere) smile. "And...I just _really_ _love_ guns..."

She laughs as they arrive at the restaurant, and Carlton dares to hope that he's off to a good start.

**A/N: Happy Friday! **


	3. Connections and Conversation

**CHAPTER THREE: Connections and Conversation**

"I love guns too, actually." she says as they walk inside the restaurant. "Did Juliet mention that?"

"Yeah, she did."

Carlton thinks about how odd it is to be on a date and having a two-way conversation about weaponry. He doubts anyone else in the restaurant gets this privilege...

After their reservations are confirmed, a waiter leads them to their table.

"O'Hara told me you're a really good shot." says Carlton. "She said you could have been a cop."

Elizabeth looks over at him, catching his gaze as they take their seats. It's only then that he realizes that he forgot to pull her chair out for her. Luckily, she doesn't seem to notice.

"Maybe I could have been." Elizabeth replies after some thoughtful consideration. "I don't really know. Juliet exaggerates, sometimes. But I do know my way around the shooting range. And I _did_ consider it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Pretty seriously, in fact."

"Why didn't you?" he asks, interest piqued.

"Because, even though I love helping people...and guns, for that matter...I'm not as tough as you and Juliet. I just don't think I could handle seeing what you see every day."

A short silence follows as the waiter passes out menus. They both take them, but Lassiter only glances at his momentarily before looking back up at his date.

She looks at the menu for only a few moments as well, then looks up at him with a smile. "Ready to order, already?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

Carlton addresses the waiter. They both order steaks, medium-rare (Lassiter makes a mental note of yet another thing he likes about her), and a bottle of wine.

After the waiter leaves, Elizabeth leans in slightly. "Hey..."

He blinks. "Hey."

"I'm about to break one of the fundamental rules of first dates. And I'm going to do exactly what Juliet told me not to do."

Lassiter raises an eyebrow. "Then you're playing a dangerous game." he says, thinking of what O'Hara would do to him if she found out that he had broken any of her rules.

"I know." she admits, but she looks determined anyway. "It's just, I don't believe in all the crap about not mentioning past relationships. I think everyone really wants to know what they're getting into, and I want to be upfront."

"Exactly what I say!" remarks Carlton, suddenly feeling validated. "What's the point in putting off reality by a date or two?"

"That's how I feel. And it's just, I'm not sure how much Juliet actually told you about me, but...I'm divorced."

Carlton looks at her curiously. O'Hara did _not_ mention this detail, and he's not exactly sure how he feels about it – but he's certainly in no position to judge. "So am I."

"I know. She told me. That's why I thought it was okay to mention, since I figured _maybe you_ wouldn't go running for the door as soon as you found out."

Carlton shrugs. "I'm not running."

She just smiles.

"Can I ask how long?" he ventures, slightly wearily, because now he's been drawn into breaking O'Hara's rules and he doesn't know if Elizabeth is going to retreat at the more in-depth question.

"How long was I married, or how long have I been divorced?"

"Both."

"I was married for four years, and it ended about two years ago. Your turn."

He lets out a low sigh before speaking. "Legally, I was married for ten years. But it was over a long time before that. We were separated for about four years of the ten."

"What took so long?"

"I kept trying to fix it. Kept holding out hope. Turns out she didn't want to fix it – she just wanted out."

"Hmmm...that was me, but I had a good reason. He cheated."

"I'm sorry."

She just shrugs, smiles again, a little sadly this time. "It's okay. I've moved on."

And now, Carlton maybe understands why O'Hara said not to go into past relationships. It isn't that he doesn't want to know about all of this – he still firmly believes in the being upfront policy, after all – but he gets the feeling that maybe they should be doing something _other_ than rehashing old romantic failures.

Elizabeth seems to feel the same way all of a sudden. She blushes slightly. "But...uh...maybe we can get into that later. I'm starting to think that Juliet had some idea of what she was talking about...now I'm not sure how to get back on track."

He's impressed with the way her thoughts coincide so perfectly with his, but he's also horrified that she doesn't seem to know what to say now.

Crap.

And now the silence starts.

Crap.

He usually enjoys silence, but not the awkward-on-a-date-silence that makes him feel as if he's doing something wrong.

She doesn't say anything, and he doesn't say anything, and...

The food arrives, much to Carlton's relief. They busy themselves with forks and knives and chewing.

It doesn't take away all the awkwardness, though, and he grasps for his fall-back question. It isn't as if he hasn't been wondering, anyway. "Did you meet O'Ha-Juliet at the gun range?"

"Oh, no. We met at the library. She noticed that I was returning a book she had read, and we started discussing it. After that, we became friends pretty easily."

"Just don't let her throw you a surprise party..." he says, smirking slightly.

Elizabeth quirks her eyebrows with the unasked question, and he starts the story on how his partner once invited all of his enemies over to his house in order to celebrate his birthday. It wasn't funny then, but Elizabeth laughs at the conclusion and it's contagious now. He chuckles slightly at the (once horrifying) memory.

"Hmm...I can't top that, although my mom did once invite the boyfriend I had dumped just two days previous to one of my parties. And he _came. _I just didn't get it..."

"Awkward?"

"Very." she smiles.

He smiles back.

And after that, somehow, the conversation flows more easily. She asks him if he grew up in Santa Barbara. He says yes, briefly describes growing up in this city, and somehow he even works in stories about Hank and Old Sonora. Then he asks her about where _she_ grew up. It turns out she's from a small town in northern Arizona. The city itself sounds nice and quiet, although her home life wasn't exactly so – she has three siblings: an older brother, an older sister and a younger brother. She gets along with all of them, now, but she tells Carlton stories of her childhood when there was a lot of yelling and fighting and sibling rivalry.

Subjects begin to segue casually into others without either of them noticing.

He learns her favorite book genres (a wide range: classics like Austen, crime like Grisham, with the occasional dose of fantasy just to switch it up).

She learns his favorite sports (gun sports, of course, followed by baseball).

Her favorite season (he can't remember how that one came up, but it's autumn).

His favorite hobby (after shooting? Fishing).

Her favorite color (blue).

His favorite food (steak).

They smile about that one for awhile, and then they both take purposefully large bites from their respective plates.

The concept of time falls away as their conversation continues. They talk while eating, then continue even when their plates are clear. They keep talking as he pays the bill, and even in the car. They talk about anything. Everything. He never knew he had so much to say. Or that he'd _want _to say so much to anyone.

He had forgotten what a _real _good date actually felt like, until tonight. There's a happiness bubbling up inside of him, along with a strange feeling he almost doesn't recognize: excitement for something (someone) new.

As he drives her home, his fingers are loose on the wheel, and he realizes that he's relaxed. Comfortable, just talking with her. He finds himself driving a little slower than his usual speed, but who's counting?

When they arrive back at her house, he walks her to her door, feeling nerves flare up inside of him. He's never been good at this part.

But Elizabeth smiles like that doesn't matter.

"I had a _great _time tonight, Carlton."

She emphasizes the 'great', and she doesn't even seem to be lying. No obvious signs of it, anyway (no sweat on her forehead and no twitching fingers). This gives him enough courage to lean in for a tentative first kiss, which she accepts and returns.

It isn't short. It isn't long.

It's medium-length and sweet; innocent with the promise of more – sometime in the future.

He feels as if he's just caught a high-profile criminal.

He finds it hard to say goodbye that night, but eventually the moment comes when they both realize they can't just stand on her porch for hours on end.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight, Carlton."

He walks back to his car, but glances up at her before opening his door. She smiles again and waves.

He gives her a small wave back, and he feels as if his own happiness is throwing him off-balance. He gets into his car, trying not to grin like an idiot.

After awhile, though, he decides it's a hopeless cause, and he's still smiling by the time his head hits the pillow that night.


	4. Details!

**CHAPTER FOUR: Details! **

**A/N: Final chapter...of this fic.  
**

He awakes the next morning to a steady pounding at his door, and he figures it's way too early for this kind of intrusion. Even if it is already 10:00...

He groans as he pushes himself out of bed. He slips a pair of sweat pants over his boxers in an effort to be more presentable to his caller, who keeps knocking with the persistence of a...something persistent (it's too early for a clever analogy, anyway).

He makes his way out of his bedroom and to the front door. He glances out of the peephole, and what he sees doesn't surprise him: his partner, looking way too perky and awake – waiting for him to let her inside.

He sighs, undoes the bolt and chain, and opens up.

"Hey, Carlton!" Juliet greets him. "Can I come in?"

"I suppose." he grunts back, stepping aside to let her pass. "Is this urgent, O'Hara? Because I was pretty sure proper etiquette for visiting people isn't before eleven."

"Pretty sure it's not before ten." she replies with certainty, and he follows her to his living room couch. She practically bounces as she walks, and he rubs a hand over his face before sitting across from her.

"You know, you should have called me after your date..."

"Sorry, but I was sleeping – ever hear of it?"

Juliet just rolls her eyes. "I don't care about your sleeping habits, Carlton. Since you didn't call me, I called Elizabeth last night to find out the details. Now I want to hear them from you."

He swallows anxiously, now wondering if perhaps everything last night was a fluke, a misreading on his part. Perhaps Elizabeth had only been humoring him by sharing stories? Perhaps the kiss was a pity kiss? He swallows again, "Wha-how did she say it went?"

Juliet is beaming at him, excitement showing on every inch of her face. "She had a great time with you! She really likes you and wants to see you again. She told me you guys talked the whole time!"

Relief washes over him; it wasn't a fluke. Juliet looks at him, now more calculating than before. "Wait, how did _you _think it went? Did you like her? She'll be so dis-"

"I liked her, O'Hara." interrupts Lassiter curtly.

She beams at him again. "Elizabeth didn't tell me whether or not...did you guys kiss?" she asks.

Lassiter feels the heat rush up in his face. "For God's sake, O'Hara, are we really back in middle school?"

Juliet blinks, then smiles. "You did, didn't you?"

"We...may have."

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he would never have believed that an _officer of the law _could make a sound even slightly resembling a squeal.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, she actually jumps forward to close the space between them so that she can wrap him into a potentially bone-crushing hug.

He looks around awkwardly as she squeezes him. "Okay, O'Hara! I'm not sure it's that big of a deal!"

She pulls away, and her grinning expression clearly says otherwise, but she refrains from commenting.

The silence presses in on him. "Hey, um, before I forget...I guess, um, thanks for helping me out with all of this. For setting me up, and the advice, and well, you know..."

He thinks she just might explode with happiness, but she manages to keep her voice calm and cool. "Of course, Partner."

She pauses for a moment, then her smile seems to widen, as if that were possible. "So...what's next?"

Carlton rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. "Well, I want to call her, but I've kinda got a question for you first."

"Ask away."

He coughs a little to clear his throat, tries to contain his awkwardness. He can feel himself going red again. "Well...I just...I mean...do you have any ideas on what we should do for a _second _date?"

His partner smiles. "Oh, I may have a few things in mind."

If Carlton didn't trust her so much – more than anyone in the world, actually – he might have been apprehensive about the mischief glinting in her eyes.

But he _does_ trust her, so all he feels is surge of excitement (and only a little anxiousness) for whatever the future holds.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who reviewed! That's the end of this fic, but if you enjoyed it and would like to see more of Lassie/Elizabeth, you're in luck. Lots of luck, actually. One sequel, highlighting date number two, has already been written and will be posted soon. It's a little bit shorter than this one, but not by much. There will still be a good dose of Lassie/Jules friendship too. The second sequel is a collection involving various firsts, random moments, and whatnot between Lassiter and Elizabeth. They could probably technically be called separate oneshots, but they're pretty much in chronological order...that one has a slightly more mature writing style, but is still full of fluffy Lassie happiness. The usual gang of Shawn, Gus, Jules, Buzz, maybe a little bit of Vick or Henry, will definitely make occasional appearances. :) **


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